Captive breeding is also for the purpose of keeping wild animals in the wild. Yes, there are people and other countries that will import in large masses, but those "big breeders" you talked about, have people over there that call THEM with something new and unique. Back in the booming days (lol, how long ago? ) I know Brian said he had a guy go over to Africa and scout the farms there looking for something new.

It's definitely died down, and it is argued by folks like the Barkers that continued importation isn't needed in the US anymore, and that we have a very diverse gene pool.

Not to mention, the US isn't the only country importing.

Captive breeding programs are used world over for many species, captive prorogation ensures that we keep the demand for wild caught specimens to the minimum to help wild populations thrive.

I know Kat (Janeothejungle) was often writing about the BP population in Africa, and has said that it can be argued that the numbers estimated is in favor of those that make a living off of farming C.H. and deporting those animals to other countries, and is unfortunately a skewed number.

So, there's a lot to it, just wanted to jump in there.